"Achoo!"
Satoru sneezed, rubbing his nose. Someone's badmouthing me. My pure love heart never dies…
Back in his cramped room, he shed his jacket, sat on the floor, and eyed the item before him.
A Blu-ray disc.
Late as it was, the bookstore hadn't closed, so he'd snagged it for 7,000 yen.
Seven grand. Enough to cover damages for decking someone at a bar. He glanced at his right hand, then the disc, facing a world-class dilemma.
His only entertainment device was an ancient, bulky TV. And "BD" meant Blu-ray DVD.
Yup, no player at home.
Smack. Satoru dropped to his knees, hands on the floor, growling in regret.
"No—!!"
All plans ruined!!
Was I, a genius, doomed to this blunder? Kami-sama!! "God, save your lost lamb!"
[Yo, looking for me? Beep. Ai-chan's voice drips with holy mercy.]
"Shut up, no."
[Grr, damn it! Host, you heartless jerk, it's been ages since you let Ai-chan out to breathe! You forgot me, didn't you? Beep. Ai-chan whines, 'Three months married, and you're already cheating!']
"Who're you again?"
[You're doing this on purpose! You've crushed my heart! But what can I do? Ai-chan's doomed to love a man who never comes home. Beep. Ai-chan sobs, hoping for a head pat.]
"…Dispel, dispel…"
[No, please! At least use your draw chance first!! Beep. Ai-chan urges urgently.]
"Draw chance? Since when?"
[Ahem, cough cough… Let Ai-chan switch to business mode. Ahem…]
[Congrats, Host, for completing the 'Train Shinobi' mission! You've earned one draw chance. Draw now?]
"Shinobi…" Satoru glanced at his bokken. Oh, I'm the shinobi.
Train wolf vs. train shinobi, huh. "Draw," he said. "Then go sleep. I need to reflect deeply."
[Ding-ding-ding, boom-boom-boom…]**
"Can you not mimic those cheesy sound effects? It's annoying…"
[Hmph, Host, you get nothing! This builds draw hype! Beep. Ai-chan keeps boom-boom-boom-ing, vowing to draw something that'll shock you and earn mad praise!]
What, like a nuke-detonating kid? Nuclear boy time?
[…A standard 'Matsushita' Blu-ray DVD player! …]**
Silence hung for seconds. Satoru slowly checked the item's description.
'Blu-ray DVD Player': Works great, no warranty.
[…A-Ai-chan's gonna off herself! I'm useless, drawing junk! Ai-chan's trash now too! I'll die for you to see, Host!]**
"Hold up—"
[Don't yell at me, don't yell! Ai-chan's outta here, QAQ!]**
"You did great."
[Huh?]**
"More than great—beyond my expectations. You're the world's best system!"
[…Ehehe, really? Ai-chan beams, puffing out her 36D pride. Saved my career with a no-warranty DVD player? Kinda embarrassing, but I won't say it… Hehe, keep praising! Beep. Ai-chan seizes the chance to flip her image!]
"Alright, shut up. I'm watching my disc."
[QAQ]
…
Late-night disc-watching left Satoru napping hard through morning math class.
This math teacher should pivot to hypnotist. Maybe he'd rival Tanaka Hajime.
Waking up, it was already lunchtime.
Anji Seiji was yanking his ear, yelling, "How many adult flicks did you watch last night to be this wiped?!"
Satoru gave him a warm smile. "Get lost!"
Anji rolled away. "I'm hitting the shop. Want yakisoba bread?"
"Sure," Satoru said. "Oh, and lend me your '❤ Tonight, My Sister-in-Law Loves Me ❤' manga later."
Anji's eyes sparkled. "You finally get its brilliance?!"
"Yeah." Satoru smirked faintly.
Anji grinned sleazily, pointing double finger-guns, hopping out like a hyper husky.
This wasn't Satoru betraying the sacred Pure Love Cult. At the bookstore, he'd seen this manga next to his BD. Embracing the wisdom of learning from rivals, he checked its blurb. The "me" was a girl—a heartwarming tale of a sister-in-law and sister supporting each other after the brother's death. How's that NTR? The brother's spirit would surely smile, thinking, "My life was worth it!"
Satoru stretched his tingling shoulders, spotting Akane crouching by the classroom door.
"What's up?" he asked, stepping out, wondering if she was mad about escorting Arisa. He pivoted. "Gotta hit the bathroom, don't follow…"
But Akane grabbed his shirt, pressing her forehead to his back.
"Don't go."
"…What's wrong?" Satoru turned.
"Can you… stay with me a bit?" Akane asked cautiously.
"Not now," Satoru said.
She let go, unusually silent, stopping in place.
Satoru took two steps, sensing something off, and looked back. "I really gotta pee. Can it wait till I'm back?"
"Oh… yeah!" Akane's eyes brightened slightly.
…
…